Puppet- Eve Wiseman

Puppet is an “awful” book; not in the writing but in the horrific historical episode it looks at. We have read and been horrified by the numerous books related to the holocaust. Puppet looks at another piece of the Jewish story, where Jews are accused of murdering Christian children for their blood.

When Esther diappears in her small Hungarian village, the Jewish community is accuse of “blood libel.” Her best friend Julie, suspects that Esther, greatly abused and unhappy in her domestic situation, has taken her own life. But the horror takes on a life of its own, and the authorities are determined to find a scapegoat. To that end, they force a young Jewish boy, Morris, to confess to having seen the Jews perform this ritualistic murder in the synagogue. The trial begins, and at first it appears that the authorities may hold sway, but the enterprising lawyer for the defense begins to pick out inconsistencies in the testimony, and indeed, outright impossibilities.

This is a heart-rending story; one that will have you grappling with a world that could, and still does, allow such atrocities. When will we ever learn?

Lunch with Lenin- Deborah Ellis

I have never personally been a fan of short stories, but Lunch with Lenin kept me fascinated. With her usual profound insight and amazing depth of understanding of many cultures, Deborah Ellis has created little vignettes which portray lives affected by the drug trade. In a totally non-judgmental way, she provides glimpses of how drugs are used and abused, and yet how in many countries, they are also the only way to provide a livelihood. Taking her ideas from many different settings and parts of the world results in an overview that is at once informative and humbling. Too often we here in our western society make assumptions without really understanding the reasons behind a way of life. Ellis has provided that, and I believe this is an important read for our students and for ourselves. I highly recommend this.

Return to Bone Tree Hill- Kristin Butcher

Return To Bone Tree Hill is an excellent example of a fine author’s ability to create suspense. Jessica has lived in Australia for six years, but recurring dreams are haunting enough to draw her back to Victoria, where she used to live. Her dreams are terrifying to the extreme as she kills a boy in her dream. It is so vivid that she decides she has to find out the truth, even if it means she’s a murderer. So back to the scene of the crime, as it were. When she arrives, she indeed finds that Charlie, the boy in her dreams, has disappeared. She finally confides in her good friend Jilly, and together they attempt to unravel the maze of memory and fact. This novel has lots of suspense and although the character is 18, it would be most suitable for grade 7 and up.

Check out this great book trailer on You Tube.

http://www.goodreads.com/videos/show/3575-return-to-bone-tree-hill

The Prince of Neither Here Nor There- Sean Cullen

Yes!! A new, excellent Canadian fantasy series. This first novel in the series, The Prince of Neither Here Nor There will take its place with the best of fantasy anywhere. Brendan is the typical high school misfit, with all the awkwardness and pimples of many adolescents. He is fortunate to have a few good friends, including Kim who seems to hang out with them even though she’s one of the cool ones. When some unusual episodes convince him he is not just geeky, but is also losing his mind, Brenden knows he needs to find out more about himself. Kim, and an odd substitute teacher, seem to be keeping an eye on him, which makes no sense. Eventually, he finds out that he is actually a faerie, who has been left in the human world for reasons he doesn’t understand. So the adventure begins! As per usual, there are those Faeries who want to turn him to their own vile purpose and those who want him to realize his full potential. Lots of action, chases, escapes, and original characters have you cheering for Bendan as he has to find for himself where he truly belongs. This will be great for your Grade 7 readers right through high school

Word Nerd- Susin Nielsen

A bullying book with a difference, Word Nerd was a fun and fascinating read. Before I continue my review, though, I have to let you know that although the character in the story is only 12, there is language in this book that, in my opinion, renders it unsuitable for an elementary school. This is a huge disappointment to me, as the story itself and the characters have much to commend them. I feel that although there are many positive reviews of this novel, not one mentions any issue with language, and I see part of my mandate is to inform librarians and other readers of potential problems.

Ambrose is one of those nerdy kids we have all met, or perhaps have been ourselves. He and his mom have moved frequently after his father’s death, so making friends has been very difficult. His mother is quite over-protective, so he invents a world for her where everything is fine. But when some so-called friends slip a peanut in his sandwich, knowing full well he has a life-threatening allergy, the truth comes out and his mother decides he will stay home and take classes by correspondence. Bored to tears, he strikes up an unlikely alliance with Cosmo, an ex-con and the son of the kind couple who rent to Ambrose and his mother. They only have one thing in common; Ambrose has learned to play Scrabble with his mom and Cosmo learned in jail. When they join a Scrabble club, it is only the gorgeous gal who leads it that keeps Cosmo coming back. All of this, however, is kept a secret from his mom for obvious reasons. But no secret can be kept forever, and Ambrose has to face the proverbial music and learn to stand up to his mom in the process. I loved Ambrose’s attitude, his unique relationship with Cosmo, and his ability to find a world where he can be accepted for who he is.

Who do I recommend this to? Well, I’m not sure. I would prefer not to put it in my YA collection for the afore-mentioned reason, but the character is a little young for high school, so you readers will have to use your discretion.

I would like to ask a favour of anyone who reads my blog. If you do read it regularly or from time to time, would you please make a brief comment? I am trying to get a feel for how many readers I have and there are some publishers who will send me books for review if I can give them some idea of my readership. So give me a moment of your time, if you will. Many thanks!!

Wanting Mor- Rukhsana Khan

Another excellent addition to our global awarenes books, Wanting Mor looks at the life of Jameela in post-Taliban Afghanistan. When her beloved mother dies, Jameela is left to the mercy of her alcoholic and drug-addicted father. He hurriedly moves them to Kabul where he fairly quickly marries. The new step-mother is reminiscent of the Cinderella story. Jameela is expected to work like a slave with no appreciation and the father conveniently stays out of the way. After Jameela seems to be establishing a friendship with the son of her new step-mother, the complaints are so vicious that Jameel’s father takes her to the market and abandons her. Befriended by a kind shop-owner, she is taken to the orpahanage where she gradually finds her place and wonder of wonders, is given the opportunity to learn to read. This had been a dream of her mother’s who couldn’t read herself as she had grown up under Taliban rule. This is a solid story of a young girl with great courage.

Pop-Gordon Korman

Gordon Korman has done it again. In an amazing career spanning decades, this well-known author of the Bruno and Boots series seems to be able to continually come up with a new, fresh and exciting ideas. Pop is ostensibly a football story, but that’s defintely not all it is. Marcus moves to a new town where he hopes to continue to pursue his dream of becoming a quarterback for the local football team. But he is met with a lot of resistance; their team had an excellent season the year before and Troy is already their football hero and they do not welome new-comers. Marcus is determined nonetheless, to try out, and when the coach sees his promise, he is allowed to join but not in the coveted quarterback position. In the meantime, he practices at the local park where he is unexpectedly joined by an older man who obviously knows his way around the game, and is a prankster to boot. Undependable and eccentric, it takes some time before Marcus acknowledges that there is something wrong and that the man’s family are hiding something. This turns into a story that is heart-wrenching to say the least, and provides an authentic look at the impact of Alzheimer’s on an individual and their family, as well as a reminder of the health risks take by our professional ball players. This is an outstanding read which I would recommend for grade 7 through high school. It will appeal to reluctant readers and both genders alike. I now begin to look forward to the next Korman book to cross my path, as all recent offerings have been very satisfying reads.

Wounded- Eric Walters

Wounded presents a present-day issue in a most readable format; that of the cost of war to those serving in the armed forces as well as that of their families. Marcus’s father is serving in Afghanistan and he, his sister and mother, cannot wait for him to return. The telephone ringing at an unexpected time causes trepidation; an unexpected visit to school by a superior officer causes fear. Will he be the one this time to be called out to face bad news. Emotions run high throughout this novel and when his dad finally does return, his increasingly erratic behaviour brings you to understand the almost impossibility of fitting back into “normal” life. Although there are times when the conversation between father/son seems a bit stilted, one has to admire the strength of the relationship between them. This is an important novel for our students to read as there are many days when the paper shows the latest casualty, but we have no grasp of the huge emotional impact on those most closely involved. This would pair well with Deborah Ellis’s Off to War:Voices of Soldier’s Children; true short stories on the same theme.

Death in the Air- Shane Peacock

Well, Shane Peacock has done it again in the second of his stories of the early days of Sherlock Holmes. Although reading the first one sets the scene for this one and acquaints us with Sherlock’s background and family life, Death in the Air also can be read on its own. After solving a nefarious murder in Eye of the Crow and receiving no credit for it, Sherlock is increasingly determined to become a great detective acknowledged by all. When he is a close spectator of a great trapeze artist’s untimely fall, he is immediately convinced that it is a murder that he alone can solve. His investigations take him into the seediest parts of London, pitted against the notorious Brixton gang. If he can bring them to justice, he would have to be credited with an amazing coup and be given the reward that he so desperately needs to finance his education and to save his mentor and employer from ruin. The relationship between Sherlock and Bell is compelling and I trust will continue to receive a place in future novels. Whether Sherlock attains his goals in this novel, I shall leave for the reader to discover.

What World is Left- Monique Polak

Although all books that relate to the holocaust are horrendous, the emotions evoked by What World is Left increases as you realize that the story is that of the author’s own mother. A non-religious Jewish family in Holland, Anneke’s family cannot believe that they are being sent to Theresienstadt, a “model” concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Her father, an artist, is forced to use his skills in the camp for propagation. Anneke is forced into hard labour and learns just how much the human spirit and body can endure in order to survive.

I would highly recommend this for grade 8 right through high school. It would be a valuable addition to your Literature Circles list as well.

Listen to this excellent interview with Monique and her mother.

http://www.moniquepolak.com/video.html